A jetski Romeo who was jailed for his covid rule breaching trip to Isle of Man to see his partner now appears to be flogging his trusted jetski on eBay.
A listing has appeared on the selling site for a £4500 Seadoo Spark jetski alongside claims it is the one ridden by Dale McLaughlin when he travelled across the Irish Sea to visit his lover Jessica Radcliffe, 30.
Dale was jailed for four weeks on December 14 for arriving on the island unlawfully.
But he was released in time to get home for Christmas.
Under details of the jetski, the ad then says: "For sale is 2015 Seadoo Spark which famously cross the Irish sea on December the 11th over 4.5 hours.
"Very agile and fast enough for most, definitely the most economical ski on the market.
“Trusted this ski with my life — served me well old friend.”
Dale travelled the 27 miles from the Isle of Whithorn, Wigtownshire, to the Isle of Mann after forking out £5,500 for the jet ski so he could be reunited with Jessica, who he had met just weeks earlier.
He has since appeared on Good Morning Britain where he joked he would make the four-and-a-half hour journey again in a small dinghy.
Dale met Jessica in the pub while working on Isle of Man just a few weeks before.
However, he was unable to return as, due to coronavirus, non-residents need permission to visit the island.
Dale applied for a permit – on compassionate grounds – but was refused.
Breaching the rules carries up to three months in jail or a fine of up to £10,000.
The roofer, who had never sat on a jet ski before the journey, previously told the Sunday Mirror: “As soon as I hit open water I thought ‘Oh my God’. It was like getting a kick in the teeth.
“It was terrible. It wasn’t fun. I followed the GPS, but after half an hour a massive wave wiped it away. I didn’t have a clue where I was going.”
He joked that he felt like a “crappy James Bond”.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, Dale said: “I would do anything for Jessica, I think I’ve proved that to the whole world to be honest. I would do it all over again.”
The eBay auction is set to finish on January 15.
